Sam recently realised he has these two very useful appendages sticking out from his torso. These things are called arms / hands, and are useful for:

sucking on – tasty treats

grabbing on to larger, encroaching fingers

smacking unsuspecting faces

He has also found his voice, much to our dismay delight! most times, he will try to hold a conversation with anyone he sees, using his recently acquired language skills – cooing, and gurgling. this just makes our day. every. single. time. BUT…One scream can leave our ears ringing. especially when he’s HANGRY (hungry + angry = Hangry).

Sam seems to be developing well as a human being. Hitting his developmental milestones, and surprising us all the time with new actions.

I pray that Sam will develop into a fine young gentleman.

I’ll end with a bit of a poem that has stuck with me since I was 6. I hope that one day, Sam too will appreciate these words. To God be the Glory, The Best is Yet to Be.

“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. Our times are in his hand who saith, ‘A whole I planned, youth shows but half; Trust God: See all, nor be afraid!”
― Robert Browning

It’s been 77 days of priceless learning, un-learning and re-learning. With all that learning, let’s go through some idioms today:

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

Yes, we have come to learn that this is really good advice. It is also really hard to send a baby flying out of the tub (made of metal in times past), water and all. Well, unless you are really strong, we’re not sure how this is possible. The poor fella that first did it, or was the victim of it…

Crying over spilt milk

This has happened to us on a number of occasions. especially when the bottle, full of expressed milk, decides to come loose on a whim, ponding its contents on the floor.

1) we have to clean the mess up, 2) it was hard work producing all that milk, 3) the baby really is crying while we scramble to warm up the milk in the fridge.

crying over spilt milk – justified.

Like taking candy from a baby

Well firstly, babies don’t eat candy nor should they be holding on to any (choking hazard). Not advisable to give your baby solids too soon either. Secondly, if you’re a parent trying to take something (like candy) from a baby, it might not be that easy, given how hard it is to pry open their fingers.

Be left holding the baby

ohhh wow, this is a tough one. Holding the baby is enjoyable on most accounts, except…

(a) when he is screaming his head off wanting milk

(b) he is dripping with vomit

(c) is dripping with pee

(d) and ewwww… dripping with poo

at which time you will quickly put the baby down. We wonder what happened to the first person that experienced this – must have felt an awful sense abandonment.

Sleep like a baby

This is the pinnacle of sleep for both parents and child. How a baby gets to this state is irrelevant once if the baby is in this state.

We have constantly been asked the question: “who does Sam look more like? Mummy or Daddy?”

Most friends and family tend to lean towards daddy.

We think that Sam looks like both of us really.

i’m linking the article below, although not a journal article, it provides an easy to read summary of some studies that have been published on this. you can read more (also links the journal articles) in the link below.

it’s interesting to note that the literature is mixed on this issue. some claim to have found baby looks like one or the other parent in the first x days/weeks of life. While some others claim that the baby looks like both parents.

what really caught my attention is one of the reasons that the evolutionary psychs gave as to why people tend to attribute similarity to the father.

well, you see the baby is surely the mother’s but this certainty can’t be said for the father. hence, similarity is attributed to the father to give an assurance of paternity.

Next time you visit a new born, take a moment to observe what people comment about who the baby looks more like.

CNY on any other year is already hectic and tiring on its own. This year was a blockbuster CNY for us, we had a special little someone tagging along.

It was a fresh new experience for all of us, new routines, and schedules with Sam. New homes, environments, and people for Sam. It was being outside for more than 4 hours since hatch day; for this we brought along a truckload of supplies just to be sure.

We did notice a few things as we went visiting.

It seems everyone, already born, got promoted this year. From brothers to uncles, aunties, to grand aunties, from grand parents to great grand parents. All figuring out their new titles (e.g. 太婆，太公，姨婆).

Great grand parents are particularly proud of this 4th gen offspring.

Most wanted to know:

Who Sam looks more like – We actually have no idea, but it seems Daryl has the majority vote.

Whether he sleeps through the night – Sam’s been a good boy only waking at specific times to replenish his blood sugar levels.

Who is taking care of him – Everyone is keeping a keen eye out for his wellbeing (for that we are thankful). Our Parents (Sam’s Goong Goong, Ye Ye, Por Por, Ma Ma) are the main caregivers when we need a break.

This CNY, the Wongfoks are thankful for all the stories shared, the advice given, and the love showered upon Sam, in this, his first year of life. We pray that he’ll continue to thrive in this wholesome, loving community.

I have to keep reminding myself that growing a baby is a marathon not a sprint. Currently it’s 7 weeks into his life here on earth. We are starting to feel stretched. With the late nights and the house work all adding up.

It’s the little bits that get you. A little washing here, some laundry there.

(Meme Credit: Emelyne yiyi)

But there are times when you feel really proud that you’ve done it well. For instance, burping him…

or surviving a trip out of the house!

We’ve realised that he is growing up a bit too quickly. We’ve had to chuck a few cool rompers that don’t fit anymore, and introduce new ones. Like this one taken with his cousin. Sam’s pants don’t fit anymore 😦

I know this is a little early, but I’m also stocking up on some dad jokes, compiled for future groans and eye rolls.

When the children want pets next time: “Pets are animals that humans did not find delicious”

Animal sounds: “to neigh or not to neigh, that’s equestrian”

At a Japanese Restaurant: “Japanese chef always have something to shoyu”

At the ZOO!: “I went to a zoo once, that only had a dog in it. It was a shitsu.”

Teachable moment about friends: “Friendship is like wetting yourself. Everyone can see it, but only you can feel its warmth.”

Lessons from punishments: “if you are asked to stand outside, it means you are always outstanding.”

Indigestion from eating too much? “if you eat too much wanton mee, you will be too heavy.”

Good to throw this in when discussing body issues: “Why have abs when you can have kebabs?”

It’s been hard to put Sam to sleep recently. Some nights we struggle to put him to bed from dinner time at 7, till close to midnight. Our routine goes something like: cry, pick up, rock till sleepy, put down, cry, repeat. some cycles are interspersed with milk bottle, and / or a diaper refreshment exercise.

On really rare occasions (i write this in hope), it may involve a full body wipe down or bath (details have been left out to protect our younger readers).

Most nights, our house becomes the night safari. This is where we, the exhibits, perform musicals, lion dance routines, and some rhythmic gymnastics (floor exercises to be exact) in the dark.

but still…the wide eyed creature keeps staring at you in the dark, complete with dilated pupils and untiring eyelids.

We’d like to believe that we have developed enhanced low light visual acuity, to see where we are going in a completely dark environment. Actually we found something that helps when moving from a bright living room to a dark bedroom: using red light (much like how red light is used in submarines or air traffic control rooms at night). It helps our eyes adjust quicker to the low light conditions, and allows us to read the manual that comes with the baby (hah!). More on the Purkinje Effect here!

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, a little cough or the closing of doors startles him awake.